Ex-aide says sex tape doesn't belong to Edwards' mistress

Hillsborough, N.C. — A former aide of two-time Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards argued in court papers filed Thursday that a videotape showing Edwards having sex with a woman shouldn't be turned over to the politician's mistress.

Rielle Hunter a week ago obtained a to prevent Andrew Young from using the video to promote his tell-all book, "The Politician," which went on sale last Saturday.

Hunter also filed suit against Andrew Young, who was among Edwards' top campaign aides, and his wife, Cheri Young, demanding that the tape be returned to her.

A court hearing is scheduled for Friday morning in the case.

Hunter said in her court filings that a video she made in September 2006 "depicted matters of a very private and personal nature." She alleged that the videos were stored at a home that Young rented for her in the gated Governor's Club development in Chatham County and that it disappeared at about the same time that the Youngs went to the house in August 2008 to pick up Hunter's passport for her.

In a , the Youngs contend that Hunter left the video in their house, where she lived for a short time in 2007 before moving to the Governor's Club. They considered the tape "abandoned property" since Hunter didn't ask to get it back for almost two years.

The Youngs also maintain that the tape they have couldn't be the one Hunter is after since it depicts a visibly pregnant woman having sex with Edwards. If the tape was made in September 2006, it couldn't depict Hunter because she didn't get pregnant until mid-2007, so they claim she has no right to it.

If Hunter misstated when the tape was made and is the woman depicted, the Youngs said, the restraining order isn't valid since it references a tape made in September 2006.

Hunter claimed in her suit that the Youngs also have two campaign-related videos and eight photos of her daughter. Edwards admitted last month that he was the girl's father.

The Youngs maintain that since the campaign paid Hunter to produce the videos, she doesn't own them and isn't entitled to them. They also denied having any photos of her daughter other than pictures they took or that Hunter gave to them.

Hunter alleged that the Youngs want to use the video and photos to generate publicity for "The Politician."

In a Monday interview with WRAL News, Andrew Young said he kept the video solely to back up his story about Edwards' affair. He said he never intended to profit from the video, noting he had turned down offers to sell it.

A federal grand jury in Raleigh has been investigating whether money from the Edwards' campaign was illegally used to cover up the affair.